Man rams cruiser, is fatally shot at Mich. Walmart

Police confronted a suspected shoplifter in the parking lot who refused to comply

MyFoxDetroit.com

WOODHAVEN, Mich. — Police in Woodhaven open fire at a suspect killing him. That shooting happened outside a Walmart store.

It all started with an alleged shoplifting inside the Walmart. Apparently Walmart employees spotted a man and a woman walking out of the store without paying for some of their items. They contacted police.

We're told a man then jumped into a red Oldsmobile. Police told him to stop, but he would not. They ended up boxing him in. He backed into a police car, and then after the officers told him to stop again, drove forward towards an officer that was standing in front of his vehicle. At that point, one of the officers opened fire killing the man in the car.

"They confronted the male in the parking lot here. He appeared to have what they thought was a screwdriver and they still believe that it was. They ordered him to drop the screwdriver. He refused to drop the screwdriver and then he jumped in his vehicle," said Woodhaven Police Chief Gordon Chreitien.

"He backed into the cop car. There was a cop standing outside with his gun drawn saying 'stop or you're going to get shot,'" a witness told us. "Then the guy in the burgundy car went towards the cop and tried to hit him and that's when they started firing."

"Hate for this day to be here, but we're doing the best we can. We'll give you more information when we can," Chreitien said.

Michigan State Police are actually taking over the investigation.

Meanwhile, the two officers that may have been involved in the shooting are on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.